Dear Parents/Carers,

Much has happened over the past two weeks to share and reflect with you.  Firstly, I hope that all mothers felt special on their big day, Mothers’ Day.

I share with you below the following poem that really sums up the message quite beautifully:

A Mother’s Love

A mother’s love is something that no one can explain,

It is made of deep devotion and of sacrifice and pain,

It is endless and unselfish and enduring come what may

For nothing can destroy it or take that love away….

It is patient and forgiving when all others are forsaking,

It never fails or falters even though the heart is breaking….

It believes beyond believing when the world around condemns,

And it glows with all the beauty of the rarest, brightest gems….

It is far beyond defining,

It defies all explanation,

And it still remains a secret like the mysteries of creation….

A many splendoured miracle man cannot understand

And another wondrous evidence of God’s tender guiding hand.

Last Saturday our potential new students for kindergarten 2023 had their kindergarten enrolment interviews.  I had the wonderful experience of speaking to our new families about their child and why St Paul’s Catholic Primary School was their preferred choice for the education of their children.  It is a very special time, even though it is only for twenty minutes, as it enables me the opportunity to share stories with parents and at the same time be introduced to a unique individual who, by the time they leave our school will experience their answers to some life forming questions:

• Who is my God?
• Am I truly worthwhile?
• How can I show my love to those I am with?
• How should I live?
• What is of value?
• Is the world to be trusted?
• Can I make a difference?
• Where will I find joy and fulfilment?
• What is worth celebrating?
• Do I dare go out into the world filled with hope?

These will contribute substantially to a view of life and reality that will stay with the child as he or she matures.  By the end of Year 6, the answers to these questions will be co created between the child, the parents, the teachers and the child’s relationships with their peers.  Our challenge is to try and make the answers to these questions, from the child’s perspective, as positive as possible through the relationships they create at St Paul’s over the seven years of their education.  In most cases I have found the answers to be positive, however, for some of our children, for a whole range of reasons, not all are positive.  Family and school need to work closely together to achieve the best story that their child can tell when asked such questions.

In light of this, I think the move towards performance based education where everything must be measured and success at school is determined by a number on a page or another assessment, is something that needs to be brought back into balance.  Cardinal Basil Hume stated many years ago in the Catholic times (21st July,1996):

We are not engaged, surely, in producing good performers
in the marketplace or able technocrats. 

Our task is thetraining of good human beings, purposeful and wise, themselves with a vision of what it is to be human and the kind of society that makes that happen.

I think this quote comes as a timely reminder as our Year 3 and Year 5 students complete the NAPLAN assessments.  I believe that Cardinal Hume’s vision takes a lifetime and begins many years before a child comes to school.

Finally, I am very much aware that the Confirmation Program has begun in the parish.  I see the “Spirit” of a person or group as a close simile to describing who we mean by the Holy Spirit of God.  The spirit of our children is warm, encouraging and friendly and they have the capacity for forgiveness and patience, which we sometimes lose as adults.  May God’s Spirit become a deeper part of their lives and give them wisdom and courage for the years ahead.  Luke’s Gospel (18:1-8) speaks of a special quality that we know most children have or are growing in,  yet as a parent (from my experience) at times can be quite frustrating, the quality of perseverance.  Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a woman who will not stop asking for justice until her request is granted. It is this special quality that the children will need to grow in their relationship with God in the future if they are to maintain the commitment being asked of them at Confirmation.  Please keep our Year 6 students in your prayerful thoughts at this time.

Go gently,

Michael Reardon
Principal

Principal Awards

Congratulations to the following students who have recently received a Principal Award. 

Lincoln Gauci, Lachlan McKone, Joanna Iofrida, Ariella Gomez, Quinten Barnsley, Alanna Dominelli, Oliver Melisi, Alyssa Marra, Giovanni Marra, Eva Alvarado, Alexander Misic, Matilda Slattery, Owen Rasmussen, Zara Canal, Cohen Ban, Logan Lewit, William Jackson, Matthew Bui, Jarryd Alam, Lucy Murphy, Emily Gray, Lorenzo Santucci, Ruby Galea, Alex Youkhana, Ellany Bowen, Trae Perkins, Brendan Tillman, Emily Edgerton.